Wrenching and Welding, Baja style

A recent iPad photo from my wife tells me there’s snow in our backyard back in Canada, but when you’re in the Baja surrounded by dust and heat, it’s hard to take that seriously. I’m sure I’ll view it differently once I’m home next week…

Craig Skinner and I arrived in San Quintin just over eight days ago, but a lot has happened in that short time. Craig’s welding classes have gone extremely well and he has won the respect of everyone he comes in contact with. The skills he will leave behind will make a big difference here for many years to come.

On the automotive training side, the number of students has varied daily due to public holidays, conflicting work schedules and many other factors. But in spite of that, everyone is learning new things and practical needs are being met.

I even learned a new word the other day: Chicanada – which for all you North Americans means to basically Mickey Mouse something together when you don’t have the proper tools or parts. I was inspecting a driveshaft at the time where somebody had installed a universal joint that was two sizes too small, causing it to wobble and vibrate at highway speed. True chicanada at its best.

Today Hector and Isaia, a couple of local pastors, took time out of their busy lives to spend a day in our shop learning skills. Many of these dedicated men and women have to find alternate work to support their families, as their congregations are too small to provide much financial help.

Later in the afternoon a local medical transport ministry dropped off one of their units for repairs – a tired, old ambulance that would have been scrapped years ago in Canada, but here it is still saving lives on a daily basis. Being able to support the local community with these kinds of things is a natural result of what Mercy Tech does, and we consider it an honor to help in this way.

We also had the opportunity to meet Edouard and Jacob, two young Canadians on holiday with their family who had decided (after discussing it with mom and dad and sister) that they wanted to leave their bikes in Mexico for other kids to ride. It was awesome to see a family teaching their children to be generous, even at such a young age. Those are lessons that will stay with them for life. (You can follow this family’s amazing journey on their Facebook page by clicking here.)

Thanks for continuing to follow the progress and growth of Mercy Tech Mission. 2016 will be a big year, as we want to see at least six teams go to the Baja to continue working with One Life One Chance. We already have one team planning for Spring Break in March, but other dates are still open.

Along with that we are putting together a team for our upcoming work in Swaziland. If you are interested in becoming one of our volunteer instructors in either Mexico or Africa, you can contact us here.

And please consider a donation via our donation page. Together we’ll continue changing lives, one skill at a time.